Rough Road to Self Awareness
by Shang Hai
Summary: Dib tries to cope with life, but finds it to hard. When he tries to end it all, he finds help in an unlikely place, only to find his savior needs more help then Dib did. ZADR in later chapters. Reedited for reading pleaseure.
1. Life is an Illusion

Chapter 1

Life is an Illusion

Shang Hai

WARNING: ZADR in later chapters  
Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim, any of the characters, or the plot.

Rough Road to Self Awareness

Chapter 1

"What!" Dib yelled in shock, his eyes stinging with pain.

"I'm sorry, Dib... But I can't go on like this." Dib averted his eyes from the blue ones of the shorter boy, "I can't be with you anymore... Good bye." The boy turned and started to leave when Dib spoke up,

"You found someone else?" The boy stopped and nodded, never turning to face the black haired boy. Without a word, he left. Dib stood there, unable to move.

_Why...?_ He questioned himself, _Why is it always me?_

"Dib! You've been in there for two weeks! Get out here!" Gaz bellowed up the stairs from the living room. Dib didn't move as her screeches echoed. He sat in the back corner of his bed, shades drawn.

"Why...?" he mumbled, not able to let go. Bloodshot eyes scanned the room, looking for an answer. They finally rested on a small picture of Zim that Dib had shot on an information-gathering mission. Dib went to move but his muscles cramped up from disuse. He fell off the bed with a loud thump, cursing under his breath. Ignoring the pain that resulted from his face connecting with the ground, Dib staggered to his feet and proceeded over to his desk. He picked up the picture, looking at it carefully before narrowing his eyes in hate,

"It's all your fault..." he mumbled to the picture. Gritting his teeth, he began ripping it up, "Sean was sick of how I had to keep an eye on you! It's not his fault he didn't see it! It's your fault! You came here!" He glared down at the tiny pieces of paper, breathing harshly. Tears weld up in his eyes as he slid to the ground, pulling his knees to his chest, burring his face into them.

"No," he whined, "Zim did nothing, regardless of how much I hate to admit it. I was just looking for a scapegoat. It's all my fault." He cried silently into his knees.

"I'm so stupid..." He mumbled, standing up and sitting on his bed, "I should just die... I'm worthless... And expendable..." He look toward his window, black curtains drawn tightly, as the sound of rain echoed through out the small room.

I'm out of here...' He got up and walked to the door, pulling on his coat as he went.

Dib stepped into the cool, damp air. Rain fell down in small, light drops. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Dib sighed,

I've got nothing...' He wandered down the street, stepping hard into the puddles in his way with his large, black boots. I'm alone...' He looked down, forcing his legs to take each step. Off, down the stormy street he walked, with out a look back.

Zim sat, bored out of his mind. GIR had wrecked one of his crucial labs and he had to wait for his computer to complete the repairs before he could commence on his most recent evil scheme of doom. He sighed as GIR mindlessly flipped through the channels, that permanent grin plastered on his face. Zim stared at the mind-numbing TV, eye twitching, as the ugly monkey face growled back. He narrowed his eyes, glaring a warning, as the monkey continued to stare. Zim suddenly snapped , launching to his feet to begin a rant of pure fury when the phone rang. With a cry of panic he tripped and fell to the ground.

"Oh! Master fell down!" GIR giggled as Zim grumbled, standing up,

"Shut up and keep watching your show..." He hissed, stalking over to the ringing machine. He picked up the receiver. Looking at it suspiciously.

_If it's Keef... He's going to die…_ He placed it carefully on his nonexistent ear,

"...Hello?" (A/N: Stole that from another one of Jhonen's work... Can you guess it ? )

"...You suck... Tell Dib to come home..." Zim panicked,

"Computer! Is the Dib-human here!" A beeping noise sounded.

"Uh... No...?" It giggled.

"What's so funny?" Zim asked, slightly scared and confused. The computer continued to giggle,

"You fell.." Zim glared, turning back to the phone,

"No... Your brother-unit, the Dib-stink-beast, isn't here..." She growled low,

"I will kill him once I find out where he is..." Zim narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"You don't know where he is?"

"Yeah. He's been moping around here for two weeks now, but he just walked out of the house today."

"What do you mean?" A click and the return of the dial tone signaled that the conversation was completed. Zim set down the phone, thinking hard,

_What's Dib up to?_ He asked himself as thunder sounded in the distance.

"And now..." He shook his head roughly, "Why do I care?" He wandered away from the window, muttering quietly. He walked back to the couch. GIR stared up at him, grinning from ear to ear and tongue dangling out. Zim returned the stare before turning around,

"But I can't let it go..." He stated, putting on a jacket and stepping into the cold. "Good thing I created those pills instead of having to roll around in glue for the next half an hour." He closed the door behind him.

Dib closed his eyes, allowing the rain and spray from the water raging below him to sting his flushed skin. He stood, silently, on the rain soaked dock. He opened his eyes, lips muttering words that traveled silently on the winds. With a splash, his body hit the cold water. His breath was ripped away as the freezing temperatures speared through him. He opened his mouth, trying to cry out.

_Maybe I should have chosen a warmer month..._


	2. Not For You

Chapter 2

Not For You

The blood pounded painfully in Dib's head as he slowly regained conciseness. He cracked his eyes open but quickly shut them when he was temporarily blinded. He growled, his body aching,

"What happened...?" He hissed.

"Before or after you tried to kill yourself?" Dib jumped. He rolled over to face the voice but, because of his temporary blindness, didn't notice the edge of his laying surface, and crashed to the ground.

"Ow..." He wined, rubbing his sore, bare shoulder---

_Wait..._ He slowly opened an eye, looking down at himself. Chest bandaged, wrists bandaged, back bandaged, and sitting in his boxers on the cold metal floor. He panicked, sliding back against the metal table he fell from, and pulled his knees to his chest,

"What did you do!"

"Besides save you from your premature and icy death? Nothing." Dib glared, shifting his sore body. "You might want to rest more, since you can't even perform a task as easy as standing up." A soft, evil laugh echoed through the room.

_Damn... How'd he know?_

"Why don't you get off the ground and get some more sleep. I'll kill you after that." With that, Zim hoped off of his hovering chair and began walking out. Dib glared after him, fighting to stand.

"Do you need help?" Zim asked, not turning around.

"No..." Dib moaned, straining more to get his legs underneath him.

He tried like that for ten minutes before collapsing to the ground in a feverish state, gasping for breath. He shut his eyes, trying to stop the tears of pain from streaming down his face. A soft tug on his arm caused him to look over. There stood that defective robot, smiling broadly,

"Hi!" Dib quirked an eyebrow,

"Hi?" GIR giggled manacle before hugging Dib tightly,

"I love you!" More giggles, "Master's happy when you're around!" A huge grin and even more giggling. Dib stared at the little robot,

"Yeah. Happy he gets the chance to destroy me." GIR's smile didn't waver as he curled up in Dib's lap,

"Dis reminds me of a TV show I sawz! It was about this short green alien who was sent to Earth by his rulers just because he kept messing up their plans and they didn't like him to much andtheywereabundoleofwoodandtheyhatedhimbecausehewasshortandwhenhegottoearthhemetaboyworthyofhisrivalryanddeyfoughtandfoughtand..." Light breathing escaped Dib's mouth as he slipped back into sleep.

"G'night Big-headed boy!" GIR squeaked before falling asleep on Dib's lap.

That ending is WAY different then my original one. In the original, Zim never left and helped Dib into bed... AW! I like this ending better, though. Box of noodles to the first one to guess the TV show GIR was describing.


	3. No, You Can't Have It

Chapter 3

No, You Can't Have It

Brown eyes opened, taking in the scarcely lit room. Dib shook off the dizziness as he felt around for his glasses. Grumbling, he slid to the floor, sprawling his arms wildly, trying his hardest to locate them, when a high-pitched, insane, giggle hit his ear.

"GIR...?" He hissed, squinting his eyes in the direction of the laughter.

"Yeah?" More giggling,

"Do you have my glasses?" The giggles grew into laughter, "GIR... I need them back. I'll give you a taco if you hand them over." A squeak sounded, telling Dib that the defective robot was thinking about his choice. A smile spread across Dib's face. He knew the robot couldn't resist the meat, bean delicacy at Crazy Taco. Dib sat up, smiling, when another voice rang through the room,

"GIR! Give the lowly human back his glasses so I can kill him honorably!" The smile quickly disappeared from Dib's face.

_Well... There goes my way out..._ A series of squeaks informed Dib that GIR was drawing near. The world became clear once more as the robot slipped the glasses onto Dib's face. The raven haired boy looked down at the smiling SIR unit, sadly,

_How I wish I was ignorant..._ Soft foot steps echoed through out the room,

"GIR. Get out." Zim commanded, walking even closer. With a squeal, GIR through himself onto Dib, hugging him tightly,

"Bye, Dibby-poo! I'm gunna make waffles! You want waffles!" Dib smiled absently at the robot,

_Better keep him blissfully unaware..._ Dib sighed to himself,

"Sure GIR. I'll have some waffles..." GIR giggled happily before running to Zim,

"You want some, too, Master?"

"Get out GIR. And don't make those horrible human food... things in my base!" GIR sniffed, looking up at Zim sadly, before running out, screaming about mice.

Dib leaned against the table, pulling himself up, purposely not looking at Zim,

"So it's finally time to end this?" Dib clothes landed on the floor in front of him,

"Hurry up, human." Zim hissed, turning around to fiddle with a control panel. Dib slowly slipped on his clothing,

_Yep. Not as dramatic as the drowning idea, but equally effective._ He sighed, _I guess I'm finally getting what I wanted. Man. It's really hard to prepare yourself for death. Wish I only had to do it once. Zim saved me only to kill me. Didn't want to miss the chance, did he?_ Dib laughed quietly to himself.

"If you're that open to death, I'll grant you that wish." Dib raised his head slowly, peering at Zim with unwavering eyes,

"So you saved me from myself, only to kill me?" Zim stared back, no hint of superiority, and no victorious smile,

"It appears so, now doesn't it?" Dib inhaled deeply, straightening himself out,

"Then I guess this is it. You've won. Good job." Zim just continued to stare at him as he reached behind and picked up a laser. Dib leaned back,

"I suppose it all ends either way."

"I suppose so." Was the response he got before he heard the laser charge, "... Good bye, Dib."


	4. I Am Saving You From Yourself

Chapter 4

I Am Saving You From Yourself

"... Good bye, Dib." Dib shut his eyes tightly,

_I suppose this world was okay. I might miss it..._ Zim slid his finger onto the trigger, eyes focused on the target, _I wonder if anyone will miss me..._

A soft beeping echoed along the corridors of the large base, faintly reaching the two. They both stood, not moving, as the noise continued. Dib opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling,

_Stop taunting me._ GIR suddenly came running into the room, a huge smile on his face.

"GIR!" Zim demanded, still looking at Dib, who was now staring back. GIR pranced up to Zim,

"Yeeeees?" He giggled.

"What did you break?" GIR just smiled as the sound kept going. Zim shifted his eyes off of Dib and looked down at the little robot. The familiar glint in Zim's eyes when he was about to start a rant appeared. He opened his mouth, inhaling sharply, when the computer cut in,

"Hey." Zim, paused mid-breath, "Your leader dudes are transmitting." Zim's eyes widened as he hurried out of the room,

"GIR! Keep an eye on the human prisoner!" With that, he disappeared down one of the long corridors.

Dib looked after him in shock. Pushing himself away from the table, he stumbled a bit,

_I'm still alive..._ He looked down at the robot, a blank look to contrast the huge smile on GIR's face,

"C'mon, Dibby! Waffle's done!" He smiled, strolling over to an elevator. Dib smiled faintly, walking toward the elevator, himself,

"What type of waffles did you make?" GIR smiled, obviously happy that Dib was interested,

"Blueberry moose waffles!" Dib looked down, a sad smile on his lips,

_GIR must be lonely... With such an annoying master as Zim, who doesn't give him the attention he wants. Wow. When did I become a psychologist? I figure I should sort out my problems first..._ The elevator slowly came to a stop on the house level, _But I feel kind of sad every time I se him._ He looked over at the still smiling GIR. He sighed,

"Can I try one of your waffles?" GIR's smile became even bigger as he squeaked with joy,

"YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" He giggled as he jumped off the elevator and ran into the kitchen. Dib closed his eyes, silently praying,

_God... Please let it be edible._

Zim ran into the communication room, quickly hitting the transmission button. The two tall leaders of Irk look down at him from their spot on the screen. Zim flayed his arms wildly,

"My Tallest!" He screeched, beaming with joy, "What can I do for you! How can I help!" Red looked at Zim, rather annoyed, but Purple was the first to talk.

"Hello, Zim." Zim's eyes lit up, "We just wanted to inform you on a package we're about to send to you."

"Is it a weapon so I can destroy the human race!" Purple sighed as Red snorted,

"Something like that. What it is, is a 'Strength Amplifier'." Purple nodded, "It'll make you 'stronger'." Zim smiled, "It should be arriving soon. Contact us after you have used it. Okay, Zim?"

"YES MY TALLEST! ZIM SHALL! THANK YOU!" The screen turned black.

Red burst into hysterics which were soon joined by Purple's.

"Do you think he has any idea?" Red stammered between laughs,

"No!" Purple declared, wiping away a tear.

Zim smiled, victoriously,

"YES! The Tallest have chosen to make me stronger! YES! ZIM SHALL RULE ALL! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Aw!", GIR whined, "Dib's leaving already?" Dib smiled, standing up slowly,

"Yeah, GIR. I figure I should leave now." GIR hopped off the table with a little squeak.

"Come back fore more waffle's, Dibby-Dib" GIR smiled, hugging Dib's leg tightly. Dib turned and walked out of the front door.


	5. Do You Remember When We Were Small?

Chapter 5

The cool autumn breeze whipped leaves into small tornadoes of color. The dead, playful foliage snapped under the crushing weight of Dib's boots. The school day that had plagued the boy all weekend had come and gone without a problem. Dib had expected his nemesis to show up, and began telling everyone about the boy's suicide attempt. That would have landed the paranormal investigator in the counselor's office again and dampened any hope for another early death.

Surprisingly, the alien hadn't shown up, leaving Dib on constant watch. But the day had passed without a hitch, without a peep, and the boy was thankful to be walking back to his house. Cutting through an alleyway, Dib emerged on his street and glanced at Zim's house. The usual alien glow around the structure seemed dampened that afternoon, looking as lifeless as the surrounding buildings. Growling in annoyance, Dib turned to face his house. Taking a few steps the raven- haired boy stopped again and let out a long sigh. Hiking his bag higher on his shoulder, Dib moved the opposite direction, back toward the alien base. Walking straight through the gnome field, Dib arrived at the front door of the base. Sighing deeply, he waited for one of the two inhabitance to be alerted, by house's computer, of his presence. Standing there, patiently, taking deep breaths, his mind finally caught up to him.

What am I doing he asked himself, eyes widening in surprise. He knew that the computer had already informed everyone that he was there, and Zim was probably getting ready to finish the job from the other day. He could leave quickly, denying to himself and Zim that this had ever happened, or he could continue on, no goal in mind. Mind making a shakey conclusion, Dib placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it.

Over the years, he realized that Zim did not lock the front door, which was rather foolish seeing as though he was on an alien planet trying to conquer it. It was just one more thing added to the long list of imprudent moves Zim had under his belt. Peaking around the door, Dib was greeted with the sight of a dark, disserted looking base.

"Zim?" he ventured to ask, opening the portal a little wider. Silence answered him for a brief moment before a distant reply was given.

"Get out of here." The pure emptiness of the command made the hairs on Dib's neck stand on end. Indeed, it didn't seem like a command at all, but a dejected plea.

"Zim?" He asked again, taking a step into the house. Usually he wouldn't care if the alien had ended up dead on the side of the road, pummeled to death by one of his experiments, or possibly decapitated, but the sadness that descended on the room was too heavy to ignore. The boy moved away from the door and into the center of the odd living room, the temperature seeming to drop the farther he moved away from the freedom of the outside. Maneuvering in the darkness, the paranormal investigator noticed a foot sticking out from behind the couch.

Oh god! Zim's got another human hostage!' Hurrying around the couch, he noticed a young boy, staring absentmindedly away from him, tight fabric clinging to the pale frame.

"Are you alright?" Dib asked hastily, afraid of what horrible experiment the alien could have done to him. The boy didn't move, but let out a shaky sigh. Slowly, he rose his knees to his chest and buried his head in them. Dib just watched, not knowing what to do. After a moment of silence, the boy spoke,

"Go away, Dib..." Blinking once, the raven-haired boy let reality hit him square in the face.

"Wait... Zim?" The boy on the floor folded himself up more, letting out a pathetic whimper. Dib stood and took a step back, surprise crossing his features. The boy on the floor moved into a tighter pose and let out a pained growl.

"Get out..."

"What the hell's happening here?" Dib wasn't planning on leaving until he had a few questions answered. Zim was quick to respond,

"Nothing happened! Get out!" At that moment, the alien jumped up from his place on the floor, staggered a little, and fell back down. The sudden switch in height made the blood in Zim's newly acquired ears pound. He groaned, rubbing his head.

"You look human..." Dib mumbled, mouth still open a little in shock. The alien let out a pitiful sob and grabbed at the hair growing from his head. It hanged near shoulder length and curled slightly around his pale face. "What happened to you, Zim?" Letting out a series of deep-throated grumbles in a language Dib couldn't understand (but figured was Irken), Zim began struggling to his feet again. Moved to pity, Dib knelt down next to his rival and spoke softly,

"Who did this, Zim?" The alien visibly flinched, but didn't move away, only fell back to the floor. "Come on." The alien narrowed his eyes, feeling the rage building up inside of him. He didn't want to be like the boy next to him. He didn't want to be like any human outside the door of his base. He didn't want to be like any human, ever. He wanted to be Irken, the superior race. Green skin, antenna, crimson eyes, his old self. A foot shot out, striking a blow into Dib's stomach, flinging him onto the floor with a grunt. Zim refused to be down and out yet.

"My leaders did this to me..." He yelled, raising balled fists to eye level. Digits were short and stubby, not ending in the claws they used to, the black fabric stretched across them. His leaders had done that to him? The ones he loved and worshipped so much? Dib coughed, placing a hand on his bruising rib. He could feel the familiar rivalry bubbling to the surface, but shoved it back down.

"How did they do it? Why did they do it?"

"They sent me a 'strength amplifier'... They said it was that, anyway. Really, it was a chemical to change me into this..." He didn't move, a disgusted look crossing his features. He didn't need to show Dib what he meant. It was obvious. His old identity had been ripped away and trampled on.

"So, it was a biological transformation…"

"Mental, too!" Zim called out, launching another kick that was caught by the paranormal investigator, falling almost harmlessly onto his lap. Zim lacked the strength to retract the long limb, letting it rest there. "My pack…. It isn't me anymore. I'm me." Dib continued to watch the other, keeping a hold on the foot. He could remember the problems that horrible pack had caused in the past. Once he had managed to swipe the metal container, hoping to uncover some of the weapons the alien had, but instead, he had found Zim's soul, leaving the lifeless other searching desperately before his half an hour of remaining life was up. Indeed Dib had figured this to be a nice, easy way to be done with the alien forever, until the pack began to fuse itself with Dib. It was a disturbingly cruel way of raping his soul, an Irken final result to stay alive. It was unsettling to say the least.

"Get out." Zim suddenly commanded again, narrowing his crimson eyes at the boy. Dib was taken aback. Hadn't they just been bonding? He felt sick at his word choice. Bonding was for friends, lovers, not sworn enemies. Tossing the aliens leg roughly to the side, Dib stood, glaring down. He wanted to move, swear at the damn creature and leave, but he just couldn't do it. The situation was all too familiar. As soon as he left Zim would kill himself, and why should he allow Zim to have that release, when the alien denied him it. Swearing inside, he threw himself back onto the ground, back against the wall, next to the boy. He could tell Zim was getting pissed off, but maybe their usual bantering would solve the problem.

"Hey, Zim?" Dib ventured, devising a foolproof plan in his head.

"What the hell do you want Dib!" Crimson eyes whipped to look at the presence next to him, but were greeted with the site of a fist connecting violently with his left cheek. A pissed scream echoed through the room as the ex-alien's head bounced off of the side of the couch. Quickly he was shoved to the ground, pinned down under the boy who continued to land punches in his mid section. The paranormal investigator was pulling his punches, more so wanting to revive the fighting spirit than hurt the boy. Zim, however, didn't feel the same. This was a fight for his life, the same as always. Folding his legs up underneath the other, he gave a sudden jerk, tossing the boy off of him. Dib tumbled to the ground and, within seconds, the alien was on top of him, administering the same punishment, only twice as hard. Grunting in pain, Dib deflected the blows to vital parts of his body, while attempting to get Zim to calm down. The alien, however, wouldn't listen until an accurate punch to the diaphragm froze him in place. The wind was forced out of him, crimson eyes swelled with tears as he went limp, breathing shallow and pained. Coughing, Dib sat up, letting the other boy slide to the floor next to him. Rubbing at his ribs, he looked down at him.

"Do you feel better now?" Struggling to steady his breathing, Zim sent one last desperate punch at Dib, which was easily deflected.

"No. What the hell---"

"Old habits die hard, I guess." Dib said, standing .to sit on the couch. Zim moved to his knees, long antennae sticking out of the black hair, twitching in aggravation. Amber eyes watched him for a moment before he reached down, grabbed the boy's hand and moved to the door.

"Let's go get some food."

"I don't want you're disgusting human food!" Zim shouted, trying to pull away but to no avail. He was too worn out by the sudden fight to put up much resistance.

"I'm hungry, so I'm sure you are to." Dib's fingers just grazed the doorknob when it swung open, GIR looking in. At first all three stood in silence, not wanting to make a move until the other did, and GIR was the perfect candidate to shatter the tension.

"Where you goin'! He shouted happily, looking from Dib to Zim, bouncing a little.

"Well…"

"GIR! Aid your master! Destroy the human!"

"Master looks funny!" GIR was obviously too busy malfunctioning to truly understand the issue at hand. Zim's mouth hung open, shocked to say the least. Sure GIR was useless most of the time, but in circumstances like this, he usually managed to pull something together and protect him.

"He, uh… robot thingy… You want to help me out?" GIR nodded enthusiastically. "Great. Grab his legs." Zim panicked, kicking out once more. The long limbs proved a strong weapon, except right now.

"I'm taking you with me, Zim, and there's nothing you can do about it."


	6. No More Space Battles

Chapter 6

No More Space Battles

Zim held on to his antenna, the last remaining piece of his old life, minus, of course, his red eyes... and his robot... and his enemy... Well, So it wasn't the last thing, but it was the only thing he felt like concentrating on. The day had gone by in a huge blur, and he no longer had his computer to tell him what exactly went on, and what he should do about it. His eyes shifted their focus, and he watched his reflection in the glass. Intense eyes glared back accusingly. Was it all his fault? Should he take the blame for this, or was it his leaders? No! It was never his leaders' fault! The old ideology seemed to kick him in the face. How dare he think that! He shifted his gaze skyward, eyeing the tiny pinpricks of light. They seemed to shine down, taunting him. He would never fly with them again. No more space, no more beauty. Undoing the window latch, Zim slid it open, sliding his torso out, and looking up again. The chilled night air felt uncomfortable on his flesh, but he wanted to see them, something familiar.

Dib stood outside of his bedroom door, hand posed an inch away from the knob. Was this really the answer? He had easily decided during his dinner that Zim was unfit to be alone, about as unfit as he was to be human, but there was nothing he could do to change that. He contemplated opening the door. They were such horrible things, doors. Sure they could be used to keep some one out or in, both wonderful ideas, but they can also be used for a cover. You can hide behind them, and kill the unsuspecting person outside as they went to walk through. That was the dilemma that Dib was at. Did he really feel like taking the chance? Moving that extra inch he turned the door knob and entered. No gun met him, no sharp pain or loud noise. At first he couldn't find the other, but then he noticed the half of a body remaining in the room. Slowly he approached, trying to find out what Zim was up to. After some investigating, he realized he still had no clue. Sliding up another window, he looked out and at the ex-alien.

"What are you doing?" He didn't move, but answered simply

"Nothing." Dib followed the unwavering gaze up to the sky. At first he looked for anything out of the ordinary. Maybe an alien ship, or laser blasts. Then he began to think more logically. Maybe a plane, or satellite. Still nothing caught his eyes.Finally he narrowed it down to the stars, and he hoped he was right. Pulling his head inside, and latching the glass shut, he tested his theory.

"They're the prettiest in the winter. Probably a month or so."

"I'm sure." Zim pulled his head in from the window and looked at the boy. Dib stood with the towel in one hand, face pale and tired, his shirt moist from his damp hair. Zim narrowed his eyes, exasperatedly. He didn't want to hear this. He didn't want comfort or sympathy. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to win, the Tallest cheering his victory, and the Irkens praising his contribution to Impending Doom II… Instead, they had abandoned him, turning him into the enemy. He clenched his teeth in frustration, and sat on the windowsill. Dib moved toward his bed, throwing the towel into the corner. He pointed at it as he continued to watch the ex-alien,

"You can sleep in the bed. I have some work to do anyway."

"Sleep?" Zim asked, slightly confused, and wary.

"Yeah. Sleep. Humans do that to get back their energy." Zim didn't move, and Dib turned away from him, taking a seat at his computer. "Suit yourself. You'll feel like it eventually." Zim was skeptical.

"Why would I need to sleep, while you don't have to?" Dib began typing quickly, watching lines of information scroll across the screen. His glass-covered eyes darted back and forth, taking it all in,

"I know how to manage my energy, and I've learned to survive on little sleep." Zim was getting annoyed. How dare the human be able to do something he couldn't.

The hours ticked off the clock, and as it neared quarter to midnight, Zim was feeling the effects of being tired. He spoke up for the first time in two hours,

"I don't like this feeling." Dib's fingers slipped up on the keys, the computer protesting by making a loud beeping noise. He had stiffened before turning to face the ex-alien,

"Then go to sleep."

"How do I do that." Dib paused, mouth open. Slowly he turned around, pushing his chair away from the desk. He slid his glasses off of his face, and rubbed his eyes,

"That's a good question." Zim didn't like this. He was really tired now, and felt a little sick from the feeling, his mind swimming in a light haze. Dib pointed back to the bed,

"First, you should probably lay down. Its not too comfortable sleeping on the ground, or sitting." Zim stood from the spot he had taken on the floor a few hours ago and moved to the edge of the bed, looking at it. He stood there for a moment before Dib spoke up again,

"You have to lay, Zim."

"I know" he barked back, swallowing his pride and pushing himself to lay.

"Then… Well, you close your eyes, and—just, fall asleep." Zim raised an eyebrow. First he had to lay, an already vulnerable position. But then his enemy had instructed him to close his eyes? This seemed unreal! He had fallen into this trap so easily! Dib seemed to realize what was going on, and sighed loudly,

"Jesus, Zim! I'm not going to friggen kill you!" He turned back to his computer, back facing the annoyed boy, "Just figure it out yourself. I don't have time." Zim growled at the boy, about ready to stand up and walk out, not caring where he would go, when an odd feeling began taking over. He felt so relaxed, and warm, and he found it increasingly hard to keep his eyes open. His final thought before falling asleep was, 'I've been drugged.'

---

Zim awoke with a startle the next morning, launching himself into a sitting position, the loud beeping echoing around the room. His crimson eyes darting around the room to the offender, a small alarm clock on the desk next to his enemy, whose face was plastered against the keyboard in front of him. Zim was panting loudly as the boy began to stir, groaning in protest. Half-heartedly he reached out, slapping his hand onto a button located on the top of the box. He slid his chair out, and slumped to his feet. His glasses lay on the desk next to the computer, and he rubbed his eyes tiredly as he searched for them. He slid them onto his face and ran a hand through his hair. He shuffled his feet over to his closet, and pulled out some clothing. With out giving a second thought, he slipped his shirt over his head, and discarded it on the floor before grabbing a clean one. Zim just sat on the bed, watching this entire process. It seemed odd, that humans would remove clothing, only to replace it with another set. He also took note that the boy he had hated so long seemed to have more muscles then the alien had ever thought he had. The layer of clothing was replaced, and another was being removed. His pants were slowly taken off, as he tried to get his brain to wake up. The little sleep he managed to get wasn't rewarding in the least, and had, in a reality, made him more tired then he already was. His hands moved to his boxers while he turned, only to see his nemesis staring at him. With a shout, Dib was awake, and panicking. The memories of the last few days seemed to flood to the surface, and he glared at the alien,

'_Don't panic. Just calm down._'

"Do you mind giving me some privacy!" The alien looked offended, narrowing his gaze,

"Not my fault you started changing your skin right in front of me!"

"Well its not my---" he faltered, not knowing what retort could possibly be used against that, "It's clothes! Just--- stop watching me, damn it!" Zim let out a huff before laying back down, tossing the covers over his head. He was still tired, although he wouldn't admit it. He lay there for a few minutes, listening to the small mumbles of Dib, and the rustling of fabric. Dib had been swearing. Complaining under his breath about how he had fallen asleep, and how sore he was, and of how he had forgotten his enemy was there, and several other things. He only stopped when he heard a yawn from under the covers. Zim wasn't asleep again, but he probably would be soon. Sighing, Dib moved across the room.

Zim's curiosity got the better of him as he heard the door click shut. Slowly he peaked out from under the sheet, and looked around. The room was deserted. Slowly he relaxed, turning onto his back, a sigh drifting out of his mouth. He could hear water running somewhere in the house, and he concentrated on the noise. It seemed oddly calming, and he let his mind drift. At first he just thought of how odd he felt. His stomach had a slight pain in it, and the clothes lay funny on his new body. His skin had a strange oily feeling to it, and the air seemed to taste different. He soon learned that the air didn't taste like anything, but it had a scent. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but different. It smelt like nothing, but like a person; Dib to be exact. Zim's mind seemed to realize this. Of course it smelled like the boy, he basically existed in there. Zim's mind continued to work through these ideas that came to him, at a different pace then he was used to. It wasn't hurried, taking its time to realize everything. He turned his head, breathing in the scent of the pillow. He liked this new feeling, smelling. It felt so much different then the tasting he was used to. The pillow smelt like Dib's hair, a mixture of shampoo and sweat. He felt his consciousness slipping away, as sleep began taking hold.

He had no idea how long he was asleep before a weight on the bed made him open a sleep filled eye. Toward the end of the bed sat Dib, slipping a boot onto his foot. He laced them up slowly, taking his time, never in a rush. Zim rolled over to face him; Dib didn't look up,

"I didn't mean to wake you." Dib knew that was a stupid lie. If he didn't mean to he could have sat on his chair, but he was hoping that the ex-alien wouldn't realize how obvious it was.

"I wasn't sleeping." Zim said indignantly, trying to stifle a yawn. A light smile graced Dib's lips as he turned away, grabbing his other boot and slipping his foot into it.

"Well, if I have your full attention, I'll tell you what you can do." He stood, making sure his feet were sitting comfortably inside of his shoes. Content with the feeling he finally turned to look at Zim. He was laying on his side, covers caught around his waist, and face pressed against his arm, listening obediently. His hair was a mess, sticking up in every direction. Dib just watched him for a minute before pointing at the door.

"I made you a sandwich while I was making myself breakfast. When you get up you can have it, it's in the fridge." Zim nodded absently, rubbing an eye. "You can also take a shower. I'll leave some clothes out for you, but put the shorts back on again. They can be your underwear until I can take you shopping. I'll talk to my friend today, and see if she can help you, I'm not one for fashion. You remember where the bathroom is, right?" Zim nodded again. He remembered the horrible adventure he had in there the night before when he was first instructed on how to use the toilet. It was odd trying to master it with his new body parts, but it was even harder trying to get his host to explain the proper way since every time he would try he would become distracted.

"Well, I'm sure you can figure out how to use the shower. I left out a towel and a wash cloth for you. That should be all you need. Just... Don't go through any of my stuff. There's a TV downstairs. Just try to stay out of trouble until I get home from school." Zim rolled over again, turning his back to the boy,

"Fine, stink beast. I'll not destroy you or any of your precious stuff." Dib smiled. It felt good to have a little of the old Zim back. Moving back to the closet, he pulled out a pair of black pants that no longer fit him, and a plain black shirt, tossing both on the chair to his computer. He grabbed his bag from next to his bedside table, hiked it over his shoulder, and walked out of the room. Zim didn't move as he listened to the front door shut. It all seemed too unreal. He was left alone in his enemy's base, basically free to wreak havoc and escape during the 6+ hours he would be alone, but he felt no urge to. He felt like listening to the boy, cleaning himself up and eating some food, not touching anything, and wait obediently. He was whipped, and he knew it, but the irony was that he did it to himself. Letting out a heavy sigh Zim rolled over and looked at the pile of clothes. Slowly he pulled himself out from under the covers, grabbed the stack, and walk out of the room.

---

The tiled floor of the bathroom was cold to Zim's bare feet as he stood, staring at himself in the mirror. He was unable to do it the evening before because his host was always around, but the boy now thought it safe to give his new body a checking. He began at his head. Antenna were still present, sticking out of his long, straight black hair that had finally stopped growing around shoulder length. His skin was pale, such a stark contrast from the green tint it was prior, but then he started to get confused. There were several parts of his new body that seemed to have hidden purposes. Zim finally gave up with a sigh and moved across the tile to the shower. He grabbed the washcloth and stepped in, remembering Dib's brief explanation and hurried demonstration of what to do once he was inside. Sliding the frosted glass door shut, Zim turned on the water. The showerhead sputtered to life, spraying down freezing water. With a yelp, Zim jumped backward, huddling against the wall. He looked at the dial, realizing the reason for the winter-like water. Trying his hardest not to let the glacial water touch his skin, Zim shoved the dial from cold to hot, taking a deep breath. He waited as the steam rose. Finally he reached out, fingertips grazing the water before pulling them back with a hiss, cradling his hand. His skin burned, and he rubbed at it, gritting his teeth. His other hand moved around the pouring water, slapping at the dial, trying to cool it down. Zim waited a moment before venturing out again. The water was a little on the cold side, but he figured he'd rather be a little cool then let the shower beat him. He grabbed the white bar off of the shower rack and began to lather up the cloth, the same way he was instructed to the evening before. He washed his body absentmindedly, not really thinking of much.

As he rinsed the soap from his body, Zim began observing the shampoo bottles. Wiping the dripping water from his face he grabbed the first of two bottles, popping it open. A strong flowery scent flooded from the small container, attacking the ex-alien's nose. He closed the container with a cough, rubbing at his nose and replacing it next to the other. He grabbed the other one, timidly opening it and breathing it in. A soft, earthy scent exhaled from inside, and Zim breathed it in slowly. The strong sent overtook his senses as he coughed.

Zim rubbed the towel roughly on his hair, leaving odd spikes and tangled strands. The entire room smelt of soap, and he liked it. He figured that if there was anything he would get used to being a human, it would probably be the showers. He frowned lightly with the re-realization. This was permanent, a solution to a long rooted problem: him. He bit at his bottom lip, a new habit he had picked up. He found himself doing it more and more frequent as he thought. He slowly dressed and headed out of the door.

The noise from a western movie blared from the living room where GIR and Zim sat. The ex-alien nibbled at the sandwich, not really enjoying the taste, but hungry enough to still eat it. GIR had been down there all night doing basically the same thing. The movie wasn't interesting. An outlaw had kidnapped a lovely lady who was calling for help from the hero. Finally reaching his wit's end, Zim addressed the android,

"GIR. Can we PLEASE watch something else?" The robot looked distraught, as if this idea was blasphemous.

"No! I need too see the eeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnndddddddddd!" Zim sighed in defeat, another thing he found himself getting used to, and returned his attention to the sandwich in his hands.

About three hours later GIR had fallen asleep and Zim was clicking through the channels. He had no idea what humans and his servant saw in these mind-numbing channels, but it just wasn't revealing itself to the boy. In a huff he turned off the TV and chucked the remote at the coffee table that sat in front of him. Immediately he began searching for something else to pass the time. He stood and looked around. Magazines were roughly stacked next to the couch. Some were paranormal, some gaming, and others were science oriented. The frown grew on Zim's face as he sifted through them. Soon he came upon a magazine that wasn't like the others. The cover was drawn in a beautiful style depicting a snowy scene with two figures standing there, backs to the reader. He flopped himself back onto the couch and began to flip through it. Glorious pen drawings littered the pages and foreign writing accompanied it.

His mind wandered trying to concoct a story to go with the images. A half-hearted story of a guy and a girl, torn apart by a bloody war was what came out as his eyes closed wearily.

The surf slid around his ankles as he looked down from the pitch-black sky. The water was cerulean, crowned with white, but dulled to a light gray the farther it proceeded out. He turned timidly. Behind him was a large, flat stretch of land travailing off to the horizon. Large crevices and cracks littered the barren landscape, making the journey treacherous. Zim seemed to notice this and returned his gaze to the ocean. With silent resolve he stepped forward into the water and, with a silent splash, disappeared bellow the shifting cover.

Something held him there, the darkness that surrounded him was cool and breezy on his skin. Faint noises could be heard from far off, illogical and confusing. Nothing seemed to connect as he hovered there, until a loud crash jerked him up, light pouring into the dark sanctuary.

Eyes wide in shock, Zim looked hurriedly around the room. The TV was on again, turned to a war movie, but no one was around. Licking at his dry lips, the ex-alien spun, letting his bare feet hit the ground. Slowly he stood, wobbling a little. The altitude was uncomfortable, and his joints popped and cracked as he stretched a little. He could tell he was less flexible than before, another thing to hate about his new state. Closing his crimson eyes as the adrenaline began to flow out of him, breathe flowing regularly in and out of his lungs, he took a few steps forward, wanting to walk of the jittery feeling.

"Watch it." Zim opened his eyes, only to be face to face with a blue collar line and pale flesh. Shifting his orbs up a little, he noticed Dib looking down at him, annoyed. Taking a step back, He licked his lips again,

"Were you making the noise?" The paranormal investigator moved passed him, taking a seat on the couch with a plate, two sandwiches stacked on top of each other. A glass was grasped in his other hand, filled with milk.

"Yeah. I dropped the phone."

"The phone?" Dib nodded, setting both on the table, and motioning to the spot next to him, for Zim to sit. Wearily the ex-alien obliged, sitting on his legs.

"Yeah. I gave my friend Alicia a call. She's going to be the one that's taking us to get you some clothes. Have a sandwich." Zim leaned forward and took one, nibbling on the corner a little. He wasn't too fond of the taste, but his stomach wanted it. The story was true, but missing several parts. It was true that he had dropped the phone while speaking to Alicia, and that she had agreed to take the two boy's to the mall, but it wasn't because of his clumsiness.

It was purely based on shock from her surprising insight into his personal life. Dib had not mentioned his obsession's transformation to any of the swollen eyeball, or to anyone for that fact, but she had known it immediately, as soon as the boy had mentioned the name. Zim narrowed his eyes. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. His life isn't supposed to be like this.

**A/N: Next update after 40 reviews is reached.**


	7. Means to an End

Chapter 7

Means to an End

Zim moved uncomfortably on the couch. He still wasn't used to the odd limbs, and his center of balance was off because of the newest addition of ears. He tried another position, shoving his legs out in front of himself, resting them on the table. This was nice for a second until he decided to wrap one leg underneath him, the other placed on the floor. His actions continued in such a manner for a little bit longer until Dib finally spoke up,

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Why are humans so uncomfortable!" Zim was hissing and spitting Irken swear words left and right, folding himself up oddly. He tried sitting normally as Dib was doing, but it just felt too weird, too uncomfortable.

"That's probably because the little fat you had on your old body is nothing compared to what you need now. You're just skin and bones." Zim looked appalled. He was still an oddity even after his transformation. A violent mood swing suddenly kicked in, and he launched forward, fist poised in the air. The power was quickly released right into the other's face with a crude battle cry. Dib fell backward, head connecting with the carpet, a resound thud. Trying to struggle back to his feet, Dib was roughly shoved down again. Zim landed on top of him, kicking and punching. Sitting heavily on his chest, he continued to administer the blows until Dib caught both of his fists, holding them tightly. Struggling, he dug his knees into the blue shirt below him.

"Comfortable now?" Dib was smug. He loved having the upper hand, even though he was the one on the ground. Zim squirmed, trying to get his fists back, but also still trying to hurt Dib.

"As a matter of fact, I am!" Dib was left semi speechless, watching the crimson eyes in confusion. That wasn't supposed to be the answer. What now? An awkward silence followed. It seemed to be the only type of silence to occur between the two enemies. Releasing his grip on the other's hands, Dib let his arms fall to the floor.

"We need to get ready." He moved to sit up, but was held down by the dead weight on top of him. The scenario was starting to get out of control, go awry. He no longer held any power, and he knew the other was aware of that. Zim was on top in all of the literal meanings.

"I'm not moving." To accent his point the ex-alien planted his feet and slid backward a little, not wavering his glare that Dib broke on more than one occasion. The underdog's hormones leapt in excitement.

"Zim, seriously. Get off."

"No." He was milking the situation for all it was worth, making a point that even with out his base, his weapons, and his technology, he was still a formidable opponent. Arrogantly, he moved back a little more, about to rock forward to pull his knees under himself when Dib pushed up with a force, the ex-alien falling to the floor between his legs.

"Don't push your luck with me, Zim." The crimson orbs moved upward, meeting with angered amber ones.

"'Old habits die hard, I guess.'" Zim easily mocked back the same phrase Dib had used during their fight the day before. Once again Dib was rendered speechless, a feeling he did not want to get used to. After a moment or so of glaring, the front door swung open, revealing Zim's tinny robot slave. He marched in, seemingly unaware of the awkward sight, a brain freezy clutched tightly in his mitts.

"Hello!" He chimed, walking right through the room and into the kitchen. Snorting in annoyance, Zim began to untangle himself. A few seconds later they were both standing independently, not speaking. The paranormal investigator moved to clean the coffee table, both sandwiches only half-eaten and the milk still occupying the glass. Moving back over to the couch, Zim threw himself onto it, snorting in annoyance. Amber orbs glared at him once more before moving into the kitchen.

The dysfunctional robot smiled up at him as soon as a boot clad foot hit the linoleum, chiming another hello.

"Um… hi." It was awkward talking to his enemy's robot slave, "You're… um, master and I are going out to… well, we're going out today. Can you… take care of your self?" GIR squeaked loudly under his disguise and gave a resound thumbs up. The garbage was disposed of before Dib ran up to his room, returning moments later with a pair of socks, and a set of sneakers, chucking them onto Zim's stomach. The ex-alien shot up with a grunt, eyeing him with evident distaste.

"Put them on. Alicia's going to be here." Grumbling to himself, Zim did as he was told.

The two stood on the curb, Dib tapping his foot, and looking off down the street, Zim eyeing the sidewalk in contempt. It had been ten minutes, and the air was beginning to numb the ex-alien's fingers. He was miserable and annoyed, sending hateful daggers from his eyes towards the other every thirty seconds or so. Abruptly he turned to face Dib, mouth open, a scream on the tip of his tongue, when a loud screech echoed through the silent neighborhood. Dib turned, fully facing the direction he had been watching,

"I think she's here." Zim looked up at the disserted street, crimson eyes narrowing in annoyance,

"There's no one here—," as the words spit from his mouth, a blue Saturn shot around the corner, hurdling toward them. With a yelp Zim jumped back from the curb, Dib standing his ground. The car whipped up to the edge on the wrong side of the street, coming to a screeching halt right next to the two. A girl with long blond hair, the tips died black, looked through the window, a big grin on her face. She motioned with her thumb toward the passenger seat and mouthed something. Dib looked at Zim, and pointed to the back before making his way around the car,

"Get in." Apprehensively the ex-alien did so.

Dib spoke up easily,

"Thanks a lot, Alicia." She smiled brightly at him, and pushed a strand of absent hair out of her eyes,

"No problem, Dib! Actually, I've been putting off going to the mall, too!" She turned, and looked over the seat, "And this must be Zim! Nice to meet you!" He looked at her oddly before eyeing the buckles as if they were serpents ready to strike. Quickly she shifted into drive and rocketed away from the curb, and back onto the correct side of the road. Dib was ready for it as his buckle clicked into place, the g-forces hitting, but Zim wasn't so prepared as he let out a bellow, sliding across the back seat.

"Might want to buckle up back there, Zimmy!" She said as she eyed him in the rear view mirror, "Safety first!" His hands moved quickly, trying to connect two of the menacing straps together. He almost had it when Alicia decided to make a wild right hand turn, flinging him back across the car. Dib looked at her, obviously a little scared as well.

"How did you manage to get your license?" His question was strongly justified as she smiled at him, too.

"What license?" Maniacal laughter drifted from the speeding car.

Black shoes gladly reconnected with pavement, their occupant gripping onto the blue metal as if his life depended on it. Swallowing heavily, he turned to look at his two unlikely and highly annoying companions (in his opinion). They were chatting loudly a little ways away, the young girl smiling brightly, and a faint grin on the boy's face. Zim stood abruptly, crossed his arms across his chest, and fell back against the car. It took a few seconds before the other two noticed the absence of the third member. Stopping, they turned to look at the brooding teen, Dib sighed in annoyance.

"He's just trying to be difficult. It's kind of been like this for the past two days." Alicia looked at him,

"You didn't tell me when it happened."

"Well, um, just a few days ago." She looked at him curiously for a minute, "By the way, how did you know about…"

"Zimmy! C'mon!" She cut Dib off quickly, waving at the third.

"No!" Dib rubbed at his eyes as Alicia moved quickly back to the car, grabbing the ex-aliens arm, and dragging him toward the other boy.

"C'mon! It's going to be loads of fun!" Dib shook his head lightly, falling into step behind the girl, drawing her into a conversation about the workings of their secret paranormal society in which most everything was conveyed in codes. The parking lot was relatively crowded for only an hour after schools had let out. Still holding on to the struggling boy, the blond girl led him through the doors, and into the huge mall. Zim clenched his teeth, remembering all of the hell he went through during his few and brief visits to the cursed place. Once he had to return a movie that was well over do, courtesy of his malfunctioning android. Another time would be when he had decided to abduct that Santa monster to trick humanity into walking themselves into a one way ticket to his Tallest. A long pause followed in his train of thought before a frown slipped over his previously annoyed features, falling back into a moody silence. He couldn't care less of how the other two saw him. He wished his leaders had been merciful and killed him instead of demanding this long lasting hell.

He was steered into a store by the shorter girl. The clothing gave an immediate impression of what was sold there. The bright sign above it read Hot Topic, and black and chains shown out. Recoiling in shock, he looked at his captors. Alicia gave him a reassuring smile, mentioning that she was really good at this sort of thing. She knew about how to pick clothes to match hair, how to match clothes to accessories, how to match clothes with clothes, and several other things that clothes can match with that Zim couldn't understand nor care about, not like he could understand her to begin with. Weaving through the rows and displays, Alicia began grabbing clothes, holding them up against him, and then placing them back on the rack, or throwing them into his arms. When a particularly large stack had accumulated in his arms, she sent him into the changing room with the order that she wanted to see everything. Slowly she turned her blue eyes onto Dib who was standing against the wall, arms crossed, eyeing her,

"Everything? We're going to be here all day."

"Well, I need to talk to you, so it might be for the better. How about you start at the beginning?" Letting out a sigh, Dib began telling her about how he had first met Zim, and about how their relationship (if could be called that) progressed. Several times throughout the tale Zim had emerged from beyond the cloaked door, obviously uncomfortable, or greatly unsure. A few times she shook her head, but most times her choices resulted in a thumbs up, and a huge grin. Dib had to admit that he called the right person. Her expertise seemed unmatched.

As the story progressed, he explained how he was caught, naturally leaving out the part in which he tried to kill himself, and what happened afterwards, concluding with the present endeavors. The pile of clothes had finally reached its peak.

"We should find something for your hair, too." Alicia gave a slight tug on the back, forcing the boy to lean back to avoid pain.

"Shouldn't he just get it cut?" Dib was unsure of what she was getting at. It should be cut.

"Of course not, Dib! Long hair on guys is in right now. Actually, you should grow yours out, too." She reached up to mess his hair but he brushed her hand away, trying to balance the clothes on the other arm.

"No thanks. I'm not your doll today." She grinned, latching onto Zim's arm whom looked horribly uncomfortable, and very unsure.

"Too bad, but one day you will come to me, and I will have my chance!" She laughed lightly, steering the other toward the turn display of hair clips, ties, and other such accessories. The paranormal investigator stood to the side, watching as Alicia demonstrated with her own hair and with his how everything was used properly. At one moment Dib thought he saw a spark of the old mischievous and dangerous Zim peak through the bored and tired eyes, but with a blink, it was gone.

After awhile Alicia had his fully convinced him to keep his hair long, and even added another $20 worth of hair things to the pile in Dib's arms.

"Are we done here?" She had reattached herself to Zim's arm and nodded in affirmation. Wearily Dib made his way to the counter and paid for it all with a small piece of plastic. He couldn't afford it alone, but his father sure could. Taking the two large bags off of the counter he shoved them into Zim's arms.

"I paid, you carry." Zim eyed him in annoyance,

"Fine." He grabbed the bags roughly and headed out the door. Alicia let out a sigh before hurrying out too. Moving back into the corridor, he met up with the others.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked, taking a bag from Zim.

"I need to go pick something up." Dib took a step forward, Alicia falling into step behind him.

"Oh yeah! To the computer store!" She pointed triumphantly forward, drawing the attention of all those around her. Zim took a few steps after them, keeping a safe distance. The day had gone by like a dream, everything new and different, highly annoying. All of this was a horrible concoction of a skewered reality. These were all such morbid thoughts. Ahead Alicia had stopped abruptly and declared something to the other boy.

"I completely forgot! Dib, wait." She pulled on the taller boy's arm, "We need to buy Zim some… well, underwear!" The paranormal investigator stopped in his tracks and looked at her in terror. It was true, but something he didn't want to think about. Brain working fast, he came up with a plan to spare himself, and Zim, the awkwardness of the situation, but more so himself.

"Why don't… _you_ do that and um… I'll call you when I'm done to find out how everything is going." She nodded in affirmation.

"Alright. C'mon, Zimmy!" The ex-alien looked up just in time to have his arm grabbed and be dragged in the opposite direction by the hurrying girl. He shot a glance back at Dib before taking his steps independently. Something seemed to catch his eye, his soul. There was the normal detest, hatred, spite… but there was something else there. 'Betrayal' seemed to jump from somewhere in his mind, probably the cold dark corner more commonly known as his subconscious. But when asked about its meaning, it remained silent. Dib watched the two move quickly away until he turned on his heals and headed off as well. His mind mused over the strange turn of events, finally taking everything into perspective.

He had actually tried to kill himself over something that seemed so minute, so small compared to everything that followed. Compared to Zim's transformation, and his sudden bombardment into Dib's life, his boyfriend breaking up with him was an almost laughable occurrence. Indeed it had been almost three weeks. Sure the only person in the world that didn't think he was absolutely insane had left him… or had they? Alicia didn't think he was insane. The Swollen Eyeball didn't think he was insane. Zim knew he wasn't insane, although the alien probably considered him insane because of his constant trying to save the world, but that was a different story, a different idea all together.

Taking a step into the store we was greeted by a call from behind the counter.

"Hey Dib. I have your drive in the back room. Let me go get it for you."

"Thanks" he responded, taking in his surroundings. The entire store was bathed in a white light, the walls mirroring it, as well as the floors, desks, and computers. The Apple store, his haven among technology. The best of the best equipment for anything and everything he needed. He had dropped of an external drive for repair the week prior, hoping to get his system up and running again. He drummed his finger against the desk and let his mind drift.

So, if he truly saw betrayal in the others eyes, what would he feel betrayed about? What his leaders did, sure, but why show that to him? It was a personal problem, nothing Dib could do about it.

"I'm surprised you actually brought her in. I mean, I didn't think you would trust anyone with her, let alone let her out of your sight." Dib looked up as his drive was set on the counter. The man began to type the charge out on the cash register, as the last comments began to sink in. Of course! Dib had just sent Zim, who was already uncomfortable and (probably) afraid off with someone he didn't know, in a world and reality he wasn't used to. That's why he felt betrayed! He had just been handed over like a bag. He prayed that Alicia wasn't being too tough.

"$223. Charge?" He looked up,

"Oh yeah…" Dib passed the plastic card over, before sliding the drive into his arms. A few minutes later he stepped back into the dark hall, shifting the slight weight so he could pull out his cell phone. Dialing a number from heart. The phone on the other end rang a few rings before a girl's voice responded,

"Hey, Dibby… all done?"

"Yeah. Where should I meet with you two?" A slurping noise came over the phone before the response,

"We're in the food court. Zimmy and I got hungry."

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute." And indeed he was so.

The food court wasn't packed, it being right after school, but there was still enough people to make Dib's searching not a walk in the park. At first he craned his neck over the groups of people, but after the second time of circling, he was glad to receive help by seeing a thin arm poke above everyone, and Alicia's smiling face. Approaching the table he set down his drive with a thud. Zim glanced up at him briefly before returning to the tedious task of chewing on his straw, a bored look plastered on his face. Dib continued to watch him until the girl drew his attention away,

"What you got there?" She followed the question by sticking a fry in her mouth. The investigator grabbed a handful and answered simply that it was an external drive. She released a mystified 'ohhhh' before declaring that they had finished all of the shopping for Zim

"And he we found out that he likes curly fries, too! Almost as much as me that is!" She emphasized that fact by placing another one in her mouth.

"That sounds really good right now. I'm going to go buy myself something." And with that, he moved back toward the outer walls that were lined with different food places. He picked one at random, one that just happened to catch his eye. In truth it didn't really matter what it was because as he moved to it, he heard a familiar voice call his name. Turning he noticed Sean waving at him. A little shock and a little dread seemed to root him to the spot at the shorter boy approached.

"Dib! How are you?"

"Um…" All the things he wanted to scream, all the answers he wanted to demand, all of the horrible things he wanted to do seemed to disappear, leaving him speechless, "Fine… and you?"

"Very well, thanks. Um, I really wanted to apologize to you about. Well, you know."

"Yeah. It's okay. I mean…… Yeah, it's fine." Talking to your ex sure was a lot harder that he figured it would be. The air just wasn't right, the moment too awkward. "How's everything going since…?"

"Oh, good. Very good." They both adjusted their stance a little, trying to ease the uncomfortable feeling even just a little.

"So, why did you just…" He moved his hands a little, trying to explain why did he call out to the other.

"Oh! I just wanted to make sure there wasn't any… y'know."

"Oh yeah! I think….. I think it's fine."

"Alright! If you…" Sean's name was called out from a little ways down and a rough looking teen emerged from a group of girls. Moving swiftly he wrapped an arm around the shorter boy, ignoring Dib.

"How you feeling, love?" The moment went from odd to hell.

"I'm well, oh, Keith, this is Dib." He gestured to said boy with was rooted to the spot. Finally the brown eyes swooped over to glance at him, a look of distaste covering his features.

"Dib, huh? Ex-lover, Dib?" The simple phrase 'Oh shit' repeated over and over again in his head, not even stopping as Keith moved to tower over him.

"I, uh, don't know about 'lover'…" It was seriously out of control.

Across the room antenna suddenly poked out from Zim's mess of hair, twitching a little, sending screaming messages to his brain. The straw between his teeth fell to the floor, as his body became rigid. A second or so later it had drawn the attention of his female companion who quickly slapped a hat on his head,

"What's going on, Zim?" Crimson eyes turned to look at her, unsure.

"I have no idea, but I bet it's bad." Standing up she looked around. Nothing seriously seemed out of place. The dancing burger was doing his civil deities outside of the Happy Burger Shack, free samples of cyanide laced tacos were being distributed outside Bonito Fajita… Everything in its place. That was, except for Dib who was suddenly shoved backwards by a boy with a maniacal grin on his face. Immediately she pointed this out to Zim who took to his feet. Crimson eyes narrowed dangerously as his antenna seemed to declare that this was the problem, something that had to be fixed. His leg moved forward, but a hand gripping his shoulder stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Panic crossed her eyes.

"I'm going to fix this." The answer was simple but it planted a blow into her chest. He was going to protect Dib? Sure that wasn't how the ex-alien saw it, but it screamed loud and clear to her. Relaxing her hand, she let him hurry off, a small smile gracing her lips.

"So you're hoping to get back together with him, are you?" Another shove moved Dib back a few paces as he tried to stabilize himself again. He tried to glare back at the man, but it was just too hard for him. He couldn't do it. Rather he hung his head and waited for the beating. He was sure it was about to come. Bad things always seemed to happen when Sean was involved, but just as he braced himself, he heard a confident and cocky call from behind him.

"You think you're so tough with you chains and mouth-stick thing?" The two opposing boys looked up at Zim who maneuvered confidently over to them, but Dib remained staring at the floor, a new look of horror slipping over his features. The previous 'oh shit's became louder as he turned his head until the annoyingly smug face came into view.

"Who the fuck are you" Keith demanded, throwing his tooth pick at the boy who easily deflected it, grin never wavering.

"Christ, Zim. Go back to Alicia." This wasn't a fight to get Zim involved in, but the ex-alien wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Can't fight your fights yourself, eh, Dib-stink? I guess I got to fight them for you!"

"Who is that, Dib?" It was the first thing Sean had said over the last few minutes, and he wondered where that voice had been during the last few minutes of abuse. Zim's mouth was open, about to shout his amazing introduction, when he was shoved and cut off by Dib.

"He's no one. Just go."

"No." He stepped in front of Dib, and tried to get into Keith's face, "you're such a horribly weak Earth-monkey! Picking a fight with someone that obviously can't fight back!" A call of protest came from the boy behind him, "And you consider yourself strong and worthy! You're nothing, little human-slug! Nothing!" Keith's temper was rising, growing with every word and half-assed phrase that was spit from the new human's mouth.

"Weak am I? Weak! Try to survive this than!" And with a gleam of metal, a wicked looking pocket knife was drawn and sent spearing toward Zim's chest. With a gasp the ex-alien stepped backward, trying to dodge the weapon, but it charged forward until it connected with flesh, causing a cry of pain, cries of panic, and a pissed grunt. Twisting the blade and retracting it, Keith gave a satisfied smirk before grabbing his stunned boyfriend's hand and running off, calling back obscenities and victorious cheers.

"Oh my Tallest, Dib." Zim knelt, applying pressure to the bleeding wound in his comrade's shoulder. A series of Irken words followed that melted in Dib's ears.

"Chicken shit bastard ran off… I swear, when I find him I will—"

"Zim…. Shut up." A surprised look on the alien's face was the last thing he saw before blacking out in a pool of his own blood.

**A/N: I'm going away so 55 reviews or when I get back... whichever comes last. (adding me to aleart will count as 2 reviews)**


	8. Does Being Alive Scare You?

Chapter 8

Does Being Alive Scare You?

Groggy eyes watched the doctor move slowly around the room, pacing as he read the diagnosis off of the clipboard. The patient was dying, having lost too much blood in the accident. Besides the puncture wounds that drained most of the crimson liquid, there was also the fractured skull, broken limbs, and other such injuries. Even though he was conscious, it would only remain that way for a short time before he fell into a coma, and then died. His family held each other as the news was broken in an overly dramatic way. It was a young doctor, handsome enough that any woman would want him, but all of that was left behind as he did his job. A true professional, or so he wanted others to believe.

"Do you understand?" he asked, trying not to sound too cold, but not wanting to portray any weakness. It was his job, something that could not be flowery.

"I hate stupid human TV!" Zim twisted a little in his chair, trying to find a comfortable position, but not taking his eyes off of the small screen.

"It's a soap-opera, Zim. No human in their right mind likes them. But yet they still air." He let out a huff and crossed his arms, finally breaking his gaze as the commercials began. He scanned the room but then decided to concentrate on the blood that was smeared across his chest. It was a disgustingly sticky mess until it dried, then it was a disgustingly crusty mess. He used his nail to scrape at it.

Right after the attack, security called an ambulance for Dib, taking him directly to the hospital, Zim tagging along. Alicia met up with the ex-alien about ten minutes later, having to pack everything in the car and fight traffic. The two sat in the waiting room, unhappy and nervous. Well, Zim more so unhappy and his female counter part the nervous one. Zim knew human medicine was incompetent compared to Irken technology, but it would do the job, making Dib just fine. A doctor walked into the waiting room and called for the two. Both stood, but Alicia was the only one to approach the doctor. Zim stood his ground, afraid of the possible trap. What if the doctor realized immediately that he wasn't supposed to be human? What if the Dib-stink had planned all of it out to finally capture him? His mind raced with such thoughts, unaware of the doctor's failing attempts to get his attention.

"Um, Mr…" Something clicked in the alien's brain. What did he care anymore? Without his base he couldn't conquer the filthy ball of dirt, and he wouldn't mind being exposed as an alien, he would actually enjoy that! Finally, officially Irken again! And maybe he could die with honor! His eyes suddenly widened in shock. Thoughts like that hadn't reared up, seriously, since the first day of his transformation when he turned down his base's heat. He had hoped to freeze himself before his body became warm blooded, but the transformation was too fast, and then the cursed human showed up and---

"Hey Zim! C'mere!" His eyes focused finally on Alicia who was standing patiently next to the doctor that wasn't so forgiving. Hurridly he moved toward the two.

"How is he doing, doctor?" Alicia watched for the answer nervously, the emotion slipping into her voice.

"Not bad. No serious damage to the ligaments, but it was a pretty deep wound. He's not going to be able to use it for awhile." She brought a hand to her mouth, Zim standing ideally to the side. "You can go see him now. We'll be releasing him soon. His room is down the hall, third last door on the right." The doctor made to move, but was stopped by the blond girl,

"Hey Zim, why don't you go ahead and keep him company."

"Why do I have to?" Zim whined, crossing his arms again in annoyance.

"Well, I have to talk to the doctor and I figured I'd give you a chance to thank him for getting stabbed for you." A frown crossed her delicate features. The alien didn't think that it was the least he could do for the person who practically saved his life? Maybe she had read into it wrong. Zim grumbled a little and took off as the girl returned her attention to the older man.

"Third from the end" Zim mumbled this as his mind raced again. Stupid human had to interfere with his battle, and than get himself hurt. Why in the hell should he thank him for it?

'_Because he saved your life?'_ Stopping abruptly, Zim turned around, looking for the source of the outburst. Nurses strolled back and forth, a few civilians, a couple of doctors, but no one close enough to him, no one reading his thoughts or even paying him any attention. Narrowing his eyes in a silent warning, he took a few more steps.

'_Twice!'_ His whipped around, glancing in every direction,

"Who the hell's saying that!" The others in the general area stopped and stared at him. No one stepped forward to claim responsibility, or generate any explanation. Snorting in annoyance, he turned on his heals and stalked off, daring under his breath for the person to speak up again. No one did. Six doors, five doors, four doors, should he really go through with this? His ego told him no, that he should forget all about this, and drop the whole thing, but he knew that wasn't an option. The voice was right, Alicia was right, regardless of how much he wanted to disagree. Grumbling, he walked the remaining feet.

Florescent lights were blinding as they accented the white walls of Dib's hospital room. Sunlight stormed through the tightly sealed windows, intent on destroying the artificial glow, and claiming it as its own. His body hurt so badly, the bandages too restricting, the fresh wound bleeding into it. Questions he didn't feel like answering were going to be coming, his companions wielding them. His right hand worked its way to his face, rubbing at his tired eyes. He had dealt with enough questions already. He sat there, enjoying the darkness behind closed and covered eyes until a small creek forced him to open them again. Zim sat in the wooden chair that had been left next to his bed by the doctor, an unreadable expression on his face. A minute passed with out a sound before the ex-alien opened him mouth, drew in a deep breath, and spoke.

"How did you do it?" Dib closed his eyes. The question didn't sound right. Why was it---

"Wait… 'how' did I do it?" His eyes had shown with general confusion. Hadn't Zim meant why?

"Yes, 'how'." There was the unreadable expression still, but annoyance started to settle in, too. What did he mean, 'how'? He had moved forward, taking the blade into his own body. Why was a better question, the question he had anticipated.

"Damn it stink-beast! How did you do it? Where did you learn Irken!"

"I DON'T … Wait… what?" Crimson eyes narrowed in annoyance, fists clenched. He was serious. He didn't know Irken! Sure he had tried to pick up on it to decode Zim's transmissions faster, but that was just one symbol at the most.

"Don't play stupid! At the mall, telling me to shut up!"

"I said that in English!"

"Yeah, if Irken is suddenly English" He crossed his arms over his chest. Dib didn't know what to say. Zim was hell bent. Suddenly the ex-alien scoffed, closing his eyes,

"What was I thinking? This lowly human could never speak such a superior language."

"God damn it, Zim! You're a 'lowly human' now too, so shut up!" Crimson eyes snapped open again, as the boy jumped to his feet, pointing in triumph.

"There! You did it again! Now, how? Where did you learn it?" Dib was about to retort, scream that he had only spoke English, but stopped as the door opened, and Alicia's smiling face popped in,

"Can I come in?"

"Sure"

"Yes, human! Come here and listen!" He turned his attention back to the bedded boy, "Do it again!"

"I'm not your monkey, Zim! And you're out of your friggen mind!"

"Do what?" Alicia watched the mini bicker with curiosity.

"But you are a monkey, now do it!"

"That bastard thinks I can speak Irken!" An accusing finger was directed at Zim who still pointed back,

"What's Irken?"

"My home language, now DO IT HUMAN MONKEY!"

"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP, ZIM!" His mouth felt different, weird even. Quickly he covered it with his right hand. The young girl looked at him in surprise, triumph adorning Zim's face. "Did I… Did I just—" A cackle came from the ex-alien's throat.

"No denying it now! Speak up!" He didn't move his fingers away from his mouth, but spoke into it.

"I—I don't know." He looked at the two in shock. "I really have no idea." Zim snorted, crossing his arms and taking a seat again, frowning in annoyance and misery. Alicia smiled nervously at the situation, offering her distraction.

"The doctor gave you the official okay to leave… Shall we?"

"Please" Dib said, struggling to sit up. The IV had been removed right after the doctor had left, but the morphine in his system was still playing with his mind. His movements were sluggish, and infuriating to the ex-alien. Jumping to his feet, Zim threw the paranormal investigator's good arm over his shoulder, and heaved him off the bed.

"Damn it, Zim! Be careful!" The alien dragged him a few steps, "No! Ow, Zim! Stop! That hurts so bad!" He bit his lip in pain, eyes watering.

"Well, hurry up then!" He dropped the arm and began storming off, "I'll be waiting by her car." He gestured over his shoulder at Alicia before turning a corner and disappearing. The girl hurried over to stabilize her friend who began to wobble slightly.

"What's gotten into him?"

"Zim doesn't like hospitals… Never did… as long as I've know him." Alicia looked up at him, leading him down the hallway, letting him relocate his center of balance.

"He didn't seem so twitchy earlier."

"Yeah…" The doctor had prescribed the boy a bottle of Loritab to help him survive the following days in a comfortable of a stupor. Alicia presented it to him as they moved down the hallway, telling him that they could drop it off on the way back to Dib's house, and she would pick it up later for him. Dib thanked her as they escaped the sterile building and began crossing the street to the parking structure where the blue saturn was parked.

"Did Zim thank you?" The boy stopped on the sidewalk, Alicia doing the same.

"No." She took a couple more steps before returning her eyes to her friend, "… but I guess I didn't really expect him to." The girl stood there sadly, not sure of how to react. There really wasn't anything between them. No friendship, nothing more. She hoped for the best for them, but the best seemed lost. Shrugging with one shoulder, Dib began walking again.

"It's no big deal. Didn't really do it to save him, anyway. I bet he knew that, though."

"Why did you do it then?" ­ He didn't answer right away, thinking it over again. The answer still wasn't there.

"I don't know. Instinct maybe." A nod was given in response as they entered the parking ramp and moved toward the car. Dib was thankful as woozy sensations began to take over, but his relief was short lived.

"Where's Zim?" Amber eyes focused on the vehicle, glancing around for the boy, but no one was around, and no sounds gave away his position. Dib moaned, rubbing at his eyes, as Alicia called out for him. No response was given.

"I should have realized that he didn't know where the car was!" Opening the driver side door, she reached in and grabbed her cell phone,

"Dib, wait here incase he comes back. I'm going to go look for him."

"Don't bother," the passenger side door opened, and he began sliding inside. A surprised look crossed the girl's feature,

"What do you mean 'don't bother'? Of course I'm going to bother! He's new to this whole thing, and even though I don't know him very well, I'm considering him a friend, Dib. You know I'd do the same for you!" Turning on her heels, and slamming the door shut, she began moving away, "Give me a call if he makes it here." And with that, she was gone. Amber eyes followed her until she disappeared behind a truck before falling closed, their owner reclining slightly.

"You should have answered, now she's mad at me."

"It's your own fault, Dib monkey. A good example why you humans should clearly express yourselves." Dib rolled his eyes, focusing them on the car next to him. On the other side sat Zim, leaning against the front passenger side tire, picking absently at his nails. It was true that he hadn't know where the car was, but it didn't take that many brain cells to figure out where it should be.

"Why did you rush out?"

"I hate those places." The answer was quick and precise as Zim pushed himself off of the dirty concrete, and stepped around to eye the back of Dib's head.

"So my guess was right."

"You know why I hate them?" Another half shrug greeted him, "It's because of all of those autopsy threats you gave. I always thought of those anytime I saw a hospital, or even heard one mentioned. You always won on the intimidation factor."

"I had to win at something." A slight grin slid onto Dib's face as the car door opened behind him, and the ex-alien took a seat. The buckles clicked as Zim shoved them backwards, laying down on the cotton covering and letting out a long yawn.

_I guess he's still recovering from the transformation. He sure needs a lot more energy than normal people._ But who was he kidding? It was as if the hospital had sucked all of the power from their bodies, leaving them lifeless shells with no car keys, and nothing to entertain the time.

"Give Alicia a call and tell her you're here so we can leave." Dib maneuvered, trying to shove the phone at the boy behind him. He winced in pain as Zim grabbed the phone and dropped it back on his lap.

"No."

"Stop being difficult, Zim."

"Stop being weak, Dib." The paranormal investigator clenched his teeth, turning as much as he could to throw a glare at the back of Zim's head. The attacker smirked into the seat. Getting a rise out of Dib was quickly becoming a favorite past time of his, right up there with sleeping, and no where near the extremely low position of shopping and visiting people in the hospital. Dib began wondering if he should indeed pursue the verbal (and possibly physical) battle, but decided against it. Flipping open the mechanical device, he punched in the speed-dial command, and held the device to his ear, letting it ring until a clear voice spoke up.

"Is he back there?" Dib sighed lightly. She was obviously still mad over something that was just a misunderstanding.

"Yeah."

"I'll be right there." And, with that, the line went dead. Flipping it closed, Dib began to relax again. A playful and smug voice called out from the back seat,

"She's still mad at you?"

"Shut up Zim." A light laugh carried about the vehicle as Zim turned himself onto his back.

"It's odd…" Dib waited for the fragment to be completed for a grand total of thirty-two second before inquiring on it.

"What's odd"

"Two humans that can speak Irken… Well, one that can speak it, the second can only tell the first to shut up." Dib sighed.

"Is that all I can say?" It was at least an improvement that he was considering himself a human.

"You thought your pathetic mind could handle any more?" A silence fell over the car as Dib sat in pity.

"I would hit you if my arm didn't hurt so bad." Another laugh and the shifting of cloth on cloth were the immediate response.

"Weakling." He turned to yell, but stopped as the driver's side door opened. Throwing a glare over his shoulder, Dib fell quiet again.

"Hey, Zimmy! Get lost?"

"A little. Found my way here, though." The ex-alien sat up, watching the girl slip into her seat and put the metal piece into the ignition.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. I'm going to drop Dib's prescription slip off at the pharmacy on my way to work. You're going to need to pick it up later, okay Dib?" The boy's head bobbed, amber eyes showing wearily from behind his glasses. Of course he would have to pick it up himself, but when that would happen was a mystery to him. He would have to walk down to the store, which wasn't working to well with the drugs, but it also wouldn't work well with a painful arm. He sighed, clenching his teeth as the car started, and they pulled away.

---

Dib stared at the ceiling, listening to soft breathing lying next to him. A few days had passed since he had been attacked in the food court of the local mall, completely undermining any self-respect he had left. He also had been kindly medicated since then, having made his way to the pharmacy sometime that same day. But, for the first time since then, the paranormal investigator was having a hard time sleeping. It wasn't as if he was paranoid or anything, the loritab had taken all of that away, leaving him fearless. It was actually the memories of the past hour that kept him away from glorious slumber.

Dib and Zim had gotten into another argument about what to do with the ex-alien. Zim was still under the impression that he was superior to Dib, regardless of what his leaders say him as, and Dib kindly burst his bubble, reminding him that he had been transformed for a reason. The ex-alien had opened his mouth, about to retort, but shut it quickly, rolled over, and fell asleep, leaving Dib stunned and concerned. It had been just a normal battle, right? Or was Zim digging for some reason to exist? They were both searching for hope in a world without any. Shifting his shoulder blades, Dib tried to will his conciseness to quiet down and let him sleep. It obeyed as amber eyes closed.

_Zim stared down at him, boot clad foot pressing on Dib's throat, crimson eyes narrowed. Clutched in his clawed hand was a menacing looking laser, aimed at the young paranormal investigator's head. It powered up with a screech. He was done for, no escape… or was there? Briefly the blood-like orbs flickered, and Dib saw his chance. He punched at Zim's knee, causing it to buckle, and the alien to collapse, dropping his weapon. Taking the moment of confusion to his advantage, Dib jumped on top of him, scrambling to take charge of the situation. Zim had picked up his weapon again that discharged into the boy's left shoulder. Searing pain registered through out his body, but pale fingers managed to keep working, wrapping around the green neck, pushing in. Crimson orbs opened wide, panic and surprise swimming within them_. Dib blinked as sweat seeped into his eyes, but the image had morphed when he opened them again.

Crimson eyes began to dull, already pale flesh turning whiter. The life was being strangled out of him, and he rose no hand to stop it. Dib could see the conviction on the alien's face. He didn't care how he died, just as long as it happened. Slowly, shaking, the paranormal investigator pulled his fingers away, feeling the chest underneath him fill with oxygen. Zim brought a hand to rub at his bruise Adam's apple, coughing lightly. Crimson irises glanced into amber once.

"You... you couldn't do it." Dib let the phrase register for a minute, not moving off of the boy he was straddling. Cradling his damaged arm, he threw himself onto his back, rolling onto his right side, facing away from the ex-alien. Zim sat up, still rubbing at his throat and swallowing hard. Neither said anything for the longest time, before Dib made his confusion known with one simple command.,

"Get out." A moment later the bed creaked, and a second after that the bedroom door was slammed shut. He listened as the front door creaked open and shut before burying his face in his pillow, breathing the suffocating air. His head raced with thoughts, most of which seemed to turn into disjointed swear words. Thousands of scolding knives seemed to have worked their way into the flesh surrounding the true stab wound, twisting with each mental kick he gave himself. His body began twitching in pain as his right arm searched the windowsill, returning to him moments later with the bottle of pain pills. He popped it open, taking out double the dose, and dry swallowing, forcing the odd shapes through his tightened throat.

---

Screeching sounds jerked the boy from his peaceful slumber, his heart leaping from his chest. Struggling off of the bed, the cripple boy finally unhooked the phone after the fifth ring, having vaulted his way to his desk. Raising the mechanical device to his ear, he proceeded cautiously,

"Hello?"

"Hello, Dib?" She continued without waiting for a response, "I have a young man here you might remember as your old nemesis. Well, I found him wandering on my street on my way home from work this morning! What the hell are you thinking? Kicking him out like that!" Dib let out a grown. Of course Alicia had to find him. It was only appropriate since she couldn't possibly be mad at him enough already. He shouldered the phone, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The voice continued from the other end, scolding him loudly. Glancing at the clock, he knew it was too late to go to school, it being 2 o'clock in the afternoon and everything.

"Get over here." His attention snapped back to the phone.

"What?"

"I said 'get over here'! It's far too easy for you to ignore me on the phone, so I want your ass at my house. I'm giving you an hour to get ready, think up a good apology, and get over here. If not, I'm coming to find you!" And, with that, the line went dead.

**A/N: 50 reviews please! ) And thank you for all the support! I'll beresponding to all signed reviews! 3**


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